One of the Jalapenos was producing really well through the fall and into December. It was churning out peppers like crazy, but no new leaves. About a month ago I noticed lots of webbing around the stems. So I pulled it away from the others so it wouldn't spread to them, and I'm pretty much left it there to die.
But now I see a lot of nasty little bugs on the other Jalapeno. Google Image confirms that they are definitely aphids. They are pretty localized on the outer most branches, which does make me think they came from the other plant. So now what do I do? I think I will cut off those branches that are just crawling with them, but then I should probably hose it down really well. I could try doing it in the shower, since it is going to make a big splashy mess. But I could also do it in the kitchen sink, where I have a little spray thingy. Of course it would get water everywhere, but with the current state of the kitchen, that can only improve it. I just hope I can save it.
I'm really pissed off about these peppers! I've kept them going for like, 5 months, and just now the aphids show up? Or more likely, they've been here the whole time and they've just now gotten out of control. I would still really like to keep them going, which I would need to do for like, 3 more months. Other than this aphid situation, I think I've done a decent job- I've kept the moisture level reasonable, I've given them worm compost for food, they get a ton of sunlight, I closed up the vent so they aren't getting dried out. They've grown more bushy, not leggy, which should be a really good sign. And when people have asked about aphids, Mike McGrath doesn't seem to say it's a lost cause, just that there is no need to spray them with anything other than water. I think we can make it through this.
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